Confirmation In The Catholic Church

There are seven sacraments in the Catholic church starting with baptism, communion, penance, confirmation, matrimony, holy orders and the anointing of the sick. This paper will examine the sacrament of confirmation in the Catholic church. Confirmation is a sacrament that Catholics believe helps the soul grow spiritually. It is seen as the completion of an initiation process that began with the sacrament of baptism. A person cannot receive confirmation unless they have been baptized first. ("What Is Confirmation in the Catholic Church?")

People believe growth is important to life and Catholics believe that the soul must also grow to stay healthy. According to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, “In the Sacrament of Confirmation, the baptized person is “sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit” and is strengthened for service to the Body of Christ.” With this Catholics believe that the sacrament of confirmation is a supernatural version of natural growth. ("What Is Confirmation in the Catholic Church?") When receiving the Holy Spirit Catholics are preparing and confirming themselves and their souls to be missionaries of Jesus Christ.

When Confirmation first began is was done right after the

The sponsor must be the same sex as the person being confirmed, they must also be at least fourteen years old, a practicing Catholic, should have already received Confirmation themselves, and cannot stand as a sponsor for more than two people. Years ago, the sponsor would put their right foot on the foot of the person being confirmed but now they put their right hand on the person’s shoulder. It has also become customary to choose a confirmation name, usually the name of a saint, which is a practice that started because St. Charles Borromeo did not want people with non-Christian names to receive the very Holy Sacrament of Confirmation.